Family of Pierre Melanson dit Laverdure & Priscilla Mallison
Pierre Melanson dit Laverdure was born in France, and died Abt. 1676 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Wife Priscilla Mallison was born Abt. 1602 in Great Britain, and died Abt. 1692 in Boston, Massachusetts. They were married Abt. 1630 in Great Britain.
Their children were:
1- Pierre Melanson b: Abt. 1632 England; d: Aft. 1714 St. Charles des Mines, Acadia
+Marguerite Mius d'Entremont b: Abt. 1650 Cherbourg, Normandie, France; m: Abt. 1665 Port Royal, Acadia; d: Aft. 1714 St. Charles des Mines, Acadia
2- Charles Melanson dit La Ramee b: Abt. 1643 England; d: Abt. 1700 Port Royal, Acadia
+Marie Dugas b: Abt. 1648 Port Royal, Acadia; m: Abt. 1663 Port Royal, Acadia; d: 7 July 1737 Port Royal, Acadia
Notes for Charles Melanson:
- "Charles Melanson, age 14, and his parents arrived in Acadia from England in 1657. His father, Pierre LaVerdure, was a Huguenot who had moved to England from France before 1632. His mother, Priscilla, was English, a fact that is well accepted by historians, although generations of die-hard descendants, who will not admit an ounce of English blood, continue to insist that she was Scottish. The family, which included at least two other children, Pierre and John, sailed from England on the Satisfaction with Thomas Temple, the newly appointed Governor of Acadia. The family is thought to have settled originally on the Saint James River. Then in 1667, when Acadia was returned to France by the Treaty of Breda, Charles' parents and brother John moved to Boston. Charles and Pierre remained in Acadia. Charles had renounced Protestantism in 1664 and married Marie Dugas, daughter of Port Royal armorer, Abraham Dugas and Marguerite Douchet. Following their marriage, they probably settled on the land which we now know as the Melanson Settlement in the Port Royal area. Although no concession has been found, a British document of 1734 states that this land was granted originally to Charles Melanson and "honest" Marie Dugas. By 1671, the Melansons were majors landholders at Port Royal. The first census, taken that year listed 20 arpents of workable land, not all of it under cultivation, 40 head of cattle and 6 sheep. Charles was described as a "labourer", and the family had 4 daughters at the time. In total, 5 sons and 9 daughters were born ca. 1664 - ca. 1693. The eldest, Marie, was brought up in Boston by her grandmother, strengthening Charles' ties with that colony. Of the other children, 8 established households in the Melanson settlement, where they remained for their adult lives. One daughter settled elsewhere in the Port Royal are, one settled at Beaubassin, and one apparently died." Research Bulletin 250, The Melanson Settlement (1664-1755), Canadian Minister of the Enviroment
- 1671 Port Royal: Charles Melanson 29, wife Marie Dugas 23, Marie 6, Marguerite 4, Anne 2; 40 cattle, 6 sheep, 20 arpents
- 1686 Port Royal: Charles Melanson 44, Marie Dugas 38, Isabelle 13, Charles 11, Madeleine 9, Marie 7, Francoise 4, twins Pierre & Ambroise 10 months; 20 cattle, 12 sheep, 6 hogs, 6 arpents, 1 gun.
- 1693 Port Royal: Charles Melancon 46, wife Marie Dugats 42, Charles 18, Madeleine 16, Marie 12, Francoise 10, twins Pierre & Ambroise 8, Claude 5, Jeanne 3; 20 cattle, 25 sheep, 12 hogs, 35 arpents, 4 guns.
- 1698 Port Royal: Charles Melanson 57, wife Marie Dugast 52, Charles 23, Marie 18, twins Ambroise & Pierre 13, Claude 11, Jean 8, Marguerite 5; 15 cattle, 9 sheep, 9 hogs, 35 arpents, 76 fruit trees, 2 guns.
- 1700 Port Royal: Charles Melanson 53, wife Marie Dugast 49, twins Pierrre & Ambroise 15, Claude 12, Jeanne 10; 30 cattle, 22 sheep, 35 arpents, 2 guns.
- 1701 Port Royal: Widow Marie Dugas 50, twins Ambroise & Pierre 15, Claude 12, Jean 10, Marguerite 8; 9 cattle, 8 sheep, 8 hogs, 10 arpents, 2 guns.
- 1703 Port Royal: Widow Charles Melanson, 4 boys, 1 girl
- 1707 Port Royal: Widow Melanson, 3 boys 14 or older, 1 girl 12 or older; 18 cattle, 15 sheep, 12 hogs, 6 arpents, 2 guns.
- 1714 Port Royal (near the fort): Widow Melanson
3- Jean (John) Melleson dit Laverdure
+Sarah ------- m: Abt. 1680
Notes for Pierre Melanson:
- The ancestor in Acadia, Pierre Laverdure, was a French Huguenot who went to England where he married an Englishwoman named Prescila Melanson. Pierre Laverdure came to Acadia with Sir Thomas Temple during the English occupation. Two of his sons adopted their mother's surname, Melanson, and stayed in Acadia while a third, John, kept the surname Laverdure and moved to Boston. After Acadia was returned to France following the treaty of Bréda, in 1667, the family settled in Boston with the exception of his two sons, Pierre and Charles Melanson who had married Acadians and converted to Roman Catholicism. Pierre Melanson married Marie Mius d'Entremont and, along with Pierre Thériault, helped to found the settlement of Grand-Pré. The 1671 census describes him as a tailor but he refused to give his age and the number of his cattle. Charles Melanson married Marie Dugas and settled at Port-Royal. The site of his establishment is well known and was studied by archeologists, during the 1980s. Charles Melanson was fairly well educated. In 1695, he wrote to the governor of Massachussets giving him information on French activities in Acadia. He also went regularly to Boston, possibly to visit his daughter, Marie, who lived there where she had married a French Huguenot, David Basset. Three of Charles' letters to governor Stoughton are preserved in the Massachusetts archives. Despite the family connections and collaboration with the Boston colonists, the British authorities deported the families of his grandsons and their descendants. They were shipped to several New England colonies as well as to prisons in the south of England. After the 1764 peace treaty, several of the family members found a home in France (Belle-Île-en-mer) and in Louisiana. A certain number of Melanson families managed to escape their persecutors and found refuge in Quebec, particularly in the Trois-Rivières region. Several returned to Acadia and settled in northern New Brunswick and in the Baie-Sainte-Marie area of Nova Scotia. Several descendants of the family left their mark in Acadian history, notably the Most Reverend Arthur Melanson who became the first archbishop of Moncton and who founded the teaching order of the Filles de Marie-de-l'Assomption. [Fidele Theriault of Fredericton, New Brunswick]
Notes for Priscilla Mallison:
- Second husband Capt. William Wright was born (unknown), and died (unknown). They were married 18 April 1680 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Parents of Pierre Melanson - unknown
Parents of Priscilla Mallison - unknown
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